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Monday, 10 December 2012

Book Review - Vegan Eats World.

Terry Hope Romero's second solo offering is pretty awesome. I do have a very soft spot for her first, Viva Vegan! simply because I was a tester for that book, and tested almost every recipe, so I have a real connection to it. This one, Vegan Eats World, hasn't disappointed me, living up to the high standards and great food I expect from Terry.

The book is a lovely hardcover one, hefty and chock full of recipes from most parts of the globe. It opens with a whole section of introductory chapters (which I really like as I love to read cookbooks like they were novels), looking at ingredients, kitchen equipment, and all sorts of hints. The recipes are logically grouped into chapters, are easy to read and follow, headed with helpful icons noting whether the recipe is fast, cheap, easy, gluten free and the like, and with relevant introductions for each. They are printed in a two column style as was Viva Vegan! (and my own Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale) to maximise space, and this layout works for me, though I do know some people will find have to turn the pages a little off putting. There are lovely pictures scattered throughout the book for those who like them. Almost every ethnic cuisine you could think of have been represented, so it is a book perfect for the adventurous foodie. Yes, some of the ingredients are not the most common, but they are authentic, and worth hunting down.

There are a few discrepancies I noticed, which may have been an editing thing, or just an oversight - nothing that distracts from my enjoyment of the recipes but were a little confusing. In the section at the back where dishes are listed by icon there are a couple of dishes I noticed in the GF section which are not gluten free, for example the Jerk-Roasted Seitan Strips, and the Soft Red Lentil Kibbe with Fresh Herbs (which is made with bulghur wheat), and in the recipe for the Pad Thai with Avocado and Spicy Green states it makes 2 to 3 servings, but the instructions have you cook 1/4 of the ingredients at a time, which led me to believe the recipe was meant to serve 4 but this was changed at some point. Like I said, nothing major, and nothing which can't be fixed for the second printing.

Recommended? For sure! Especially if you like to visit other cultures and countries through the magic of your own kitchen!

I did make loads of recipes, mainly because I found it hard to choose!
Page 50 Savory Baked Tofu
I made the Asian version and used in a number of Asian dishes over following days. Easy, quick and tasty.

Page 67 Mock Nuoc Cham
Spicier than I was expecting from the introduction, but tasty all the same.

Page 128 Like an Egyptian Lentil Soup
Thick, more like a stew than a soup, but very warming and tasty. I do love caramelised onions so the flavours were right up my street. Easy to make too.

Page 129 Ginger Peanut Squash Soup
Lovely soup - with summer squash instead of the winter squash I had sort of expected. This made it a lighter soup, yet still satisfying and warming.

Page 139 Coconut Black-Eyed Pea Curry
A very simple bean only curry that I added some roasted red pepper to at the end of cooking so I didn't have to make something else! Simple, fast and very tasty. Nice over rice, and nice with naan bread to scoop.

Page 205 Very Nice Chickpea Crepes
Very nice indeed. Though mine stuck to my pan, so weren't the prettiest. A little tricky, but tasty.

Page 207 Golden Coconut Crepes
Spicy filling for these ones - I would tone it down a little next time - I think I am loosing my heat tolerance as I age!I had a little bother with the crepes not behaving, but enjoyed the taste and texture of these and would make again.

Page 217 Tom Yum Noodle Soup
I made a half recipe expecting to have leftovers but didn't! maybe I like my soups with more broth. Enjoyed very much, and can see this being made without the noodles too - simple and very good.

Page 233 Pad Thai with Avocado and Spicy Greens
Yum. I really enjoyed this, with the addition of greens and avocado to your regular pad thai flavours. The chopping is a little time consuming but the cooking is very fast.

Page 265 Red Wine Braised Leeks and Mushrooms
Not such a fan of this one, and I love leeks and mushrooms so was expecting to like it. Don't know why but it didn't impress me so much as other recipes.

Page 269 Fluffy Scrambled Chickpea "Eggs" with Shallots
So easy, so tasty, and so like scrambled eggs, though a little less "eggy" and better! Great on toast for breakfast.

Page 270 Yassa Lemon Mustard Tofu
I have a recipe in Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking which uses a lot of mustard so I wan't frightened by the amount in this - a long cooking time mellows the sharpness nicely - and enjoyed the flavours very much.

Page 279 Sesame WOW Greens
Very tasty, and very simple - will make this again for sure as it was so good.

Page 285 Lemon Garlic Potatoes
Nicely garlic-y and lemon-y, and great cold as an impromptu potato salad! Easy to make - cooks away in the oven as other things go on the stove top.

Page 287 Roasted Broccoli with Sage
Simple and tasty way to make broccoli.

Page 290 Crispy Plantains with East meets West Chocolate Mole Dip
I love tostones so knew I'd love that part of this recipe! The mole dip was lovely, though a little spicy (I should have chosen a milder chile powder) and I enjoyed it as a spread in sandwiches, and as a dip for nacho chips too. I preferred it cold not warm too.

Page 337 Italian Cashewcotta Cheesecake
I made the small version, though did have to cook them for a lot longer (about double the time) than stated to get them to as described in the recipe. The hardest part about this was remembering to soak the nuts! Very nice, hints of citrus, and needing no adornment.

Page 340 Ethiopian Chocolate Flourless Torte
Easy to make, though I did cook mine a little longer than stated to get it to appear as in the recipe. I liked this served warm with ice cream, and served cold, so it is a versatile dessert, and you do only need a little as it is quite rich.

Nut Topped Hazelnut and Almond Bundt Cake

Does anyone read this?

Gingerbread.

Look at all the ginger in there!

Any recipes posted here are of my own devising unless otherwise stated. I will always provide credit for recipes, and inspiration, where applicable and links where possible. I would appreciate the same courtesy.